2017 Aston Martin DB11: The Next Chapter
Not only will the DB11 be replacing the aging Aston Martin DB9 in the little English company’s sports-car lineup, but it will mark their willingness to get up to speed with the latest technologies.
First of all, if you’re wondering where the DB10 went, it actually breezed by pretty quickly. Only ten units of the car that starred in the latest James Bond flick Spectre were produced, and only one was actually sold to a consumer. That’s what you call a sound investment.
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The DB11, which made a quick appearance at Decarie Motors in Montreal, is somewhat inspired by its extremely rare predecessor, but its design is much more attractive. The hood is sculpted in one big sheet of aluminum, and according to the folks at Aston Martin, it’s the biggest one-piece hood in the industry. It has six perforations, two for the LED headlight clusters to poke through and four for ventilation purposes. The brand obviously transposed their signature grille design.
Gills have been installed right behind the front wheels, which allow accumulating air pressure to liberate itself through the fender air vents, preventing front-end lift. The bright strake that surrounds the top portion of the side windows is made from aluminum, and at the base of the C pillar is an air channel that’s called Aston Martin Aeroblade. The latter sucks in air and blows it through the trunklid, which the manufacturer claims enhances downforce, increases stability and eliminates the need for a rear spoiler. Ironically, the DB11 is equipped with a spoiler, which rises at a speed of about 160 km/h.
Under the immense bonnet lurks a new twin-turbo, 5.2-litre V12 engine. One could believe that it’s a powertrain provided by Mercedes-AMG, with who Aston Martin recently signed a collaborative agreement, but the engine was designed in-house. It’s the company’s first production turbocharged engine, and quite a first effort with an output of 600 horsepower as well as 516 lb.-ft. that peaks at just 1500 rpm. The automatic transmission has eight gears in its casing, and it’s located right in front of the rear wheels, helping the car achieve a near-perfect weight distribution.
The 2017 Aston Martin DB11 is equipped with a rear-wheel drivetrain, while a limited-slip differential contributes all that power that gets blasted through the gearbox. The car is said to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, and keeps on charging to a top speed of 322 km/h.
Despite its brawn, the force-fed V12 consumes 25% less super unleaded than the outgoing DB9, thanks to the addition of automatic start/stop and cylinder deactivation under light loads.
The cockpit is obviously a sumptuous, leather-lined cocoon, with a choice of eight different seat upholstery designs. There are rear seats, symbolic in appearance. However, to demonstrate their (temporary) usefulness, Aston Martin’s brave product specialist Edward Gwyther wedged himself in one of them. He is six feet one inch tall.
Mercedes-AMG’s contribution to the DB11 is limited to electronic systems. When climbing into the car’s cockpit, one immediately notices the German manufacturer’s multifunction rotary dial and touchpad setup, while the menu layout on the display screen is virtually identical to their COMAND interface.
By the way, it’s the next generation of the Vantage that should benefit from AMG’s powertrain savoir-faire. This should logically be the English company’s next car due for a redesign.
The 2017 Aston Martin DB11 should arrive late this fall, and its base price will be pegged at around $255,000. Obviously, no customer of the brand will be satisfied with a no-options car.